Love-triangle books a headache for France's Hollande

PARIS (REUTERS) - Stuck with dismal approval ratings for his presidential debut, France's Francois Hollande is now having his private life raked over in a series of books that dissect the alleged jealousy between his current and former companions.

Despite Mr Hollande's insistence he wants his home life kept private, public interest has been rife since first lady Valerie Trierweiler sent a "killer tweet" in June that exposed the animosity between her and Ms Segolene Royal, the president's partner up to mid-2007.

A book out this week describes how Mr Hollande's flirtation with Ms Trierweiler goes all the way back to the early 1990s and that in 2003, Ms Royal warned the journalist, 11 years her junior, to stay away from her man, then head of the Socialist Party.

Two other new books pore over the long-running rivalry between Ms Trierweiler and Ms Royal, whom Mr Hollande allegedly wavered about leaving but finally quit to set up home with Ms Trierweiler following Ms Royal's unsuccessful presidential bid in 2007.